‘Doctor Who’ 2011 Christmas Special Prequel Scene

The Doctor's life is endangered in this first preview from "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe."

The last time we saw the Doctor (Matt Smith), he had successfully faked his death in order to escape a fixed point in time before heading out for new adventures. Meanwhile in the present, the Doctor's friends and companions, Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) learned about his survival while rebuilding their lives on Earth.

But in this newly released clip from this year's "Doctor Who" Christmas special, the Doctor finds that attempting to take out alien threats without backup can be hazardous to his survival…

Presumably, the Doctor's apparent demise leads into the beginning of "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe," the new Christmas special by writer Steven Moffat and director Farren Blackburn.

Clearly inspired by C.S. Lewis' novel, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe;" this year's Christmas special takes place in 1941 at the height of the British blitz. Somehow, the Doctor ends up as the caretaker of an old home in the countryside where a widowed woman, Madge Arwell (Claire Skinner) and her children Cyril (Maurice Cole) and Lily (Holly Earl).

And because the Doctor never goes anywhere without a reason, something strange is happening within the house that endangers the entire Arwell family. Fortunately, they know a good Doctor…

Don't miss "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe" on Christmas night, only on BBC America and BBC One!